Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has acknowledged that the solitary reason why he joined Chelsea in 2022 was to reunite with Thomas Tuchel.
After a seven-month stint with Barcelona in which he scored 13 goals in 24 appearances, Aubameyang was identified by Tuchel and the club's new owners as the players to bolster their productivity in the final third.
Instead, Aubameyang contributed just three goals from 21 outings in a disastrous spell at Stamford Bridge, spending a period out of contention until Frank Lampard replaced Graham Potter towards the end of 2022-23.
Aubameyang has since gone on to net freely for French giants Marseille and Al Qadsiah, the veteran impressing in the Saudi Pro League with six strikes in 12 games.
Nevertheless, in a wide-ranging interview with David Ornstein of The Athletic, Aubameyang has addressed his time with Chelsea, admitting that it did not go according to plan from the start.
© Imago
'I didn't recognise him'
The 35-year-old revealed that the solitary factor for joining Chelsea was to reunite with Tuchel, a head coach that had got the best out of him during their memorable stint with Borussia Dortmund.
On this occasion, though, a day after Aubameyang made his debut against Dinamo Zagreb wearing a protective mask for a broken jaw, Tuchel was sacked by new co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
He said: "When you arrive somewhere (new), you want to show straight away you're involved. It was the worst game of my life, but I did it because I had to play.
"I remember that day because I didn't recognise him (Tuchel). It was not the guy I knew a few years ago. We had a close relationship. He was the only guy who really understood me in Dortmund. At Chelsea, it was like something was wrong. I felt he was not enjoying his time.
"We lost (1-0) and he was p**sed off. Usually, he would go crazy but he came to the dressing room and then left. I was like, 'This is not the guy I know. Very strange'. The next day, he was sacked."
Tuchel has since been appointed as the new manager of England, his first fixture being a World Cup qualifier against Albania on March 21.
© Imago
Ambitious Aubameyang
Aubameyang's current focus is trying to keep Al Qadsiah in contention at the top of the Saudi Pro League table, his club currently sitting in third position.
His nation Gabon are also bidding to qualify for their first-ever World Cup in 2026. As it stands, they sit in second place in their group, one point adrift of Ivory Coast after four games.
Darren Plant
